Sinclair Community College’s Board of Trustees approved a number of initiatives at a meeting Tuesday prioritizing how the university will grow during the next year.

The plans include maintenance and construction projects, as well as an initiative to fund expanding UAV education.

• Construction to continue on Courseview campus

The trustees approved the next phase of construction for the college’s Courseview Campus.

The board approved a contract of $3.69 million to renovate and furnish Building B at the Mason campus. The university’s long-range plan envisions 10 buildings on 75 to 85 acres to accommodate up to 10,000 students by 2035.

Quandel Construction Group, Inc., based in Minersville, Penn. beat out seven other bids. The Courseview Campus currently has about 1,400 students and occupies a single 18,000-square-foot building. The completion of Building B is the second phase of the plan and will boost square footage to 35,000. Renovations on that building is expected to be completed by August 2013.

• College responds to Affordable Care Act

Trustees also approved modifying their staffing policy in compliance with the Affordable Care Act. Effective Jan. 1, the act will require employers to provide medical benefits to employees who work more than 30 hours per week.

The new policy will limit working hours of part-time staff to 28 hours per week, and adjunct and retired faculty to 11 hours per week. About 200 employees will be affected by the policy. The school has about 1,000 full-time employees and 3,000 other school employees, most of them students. About 80 percent of the school’s budget, or $100 million, goes to personnel costs.

“It’s important for us to maintain compliance with the ACA in a manner that is college-wide budget-neutral,” said trustee Beth Whelley, chair of the personnel-curriculum committee.

• Contracts awarded for capital plan, maintenance

Several contracts were awarded for construction and maintenance projects around campus.The trustees approved $13.9 million in projects for fiscal year 2014. $5.6 million of that will go to capital equipment funds with the balance to other projects. The budget is $2.5 million lower than last year, and trustee Rob Connelly, chair of the finance committee, said this was due to lower state funding and uncertainty about future funding.

The school has 152 projects totaling $100 million in its six-year plan spanning to 2019, and the rest of the projects will be approved in coming years.

Additionally, Bilbrey Construction was awarded a $200,000 contract for exterior door replacements, Orbit Sheet Metal was approved for a $340,000 contract to upgrade temperature controls, and R.L. Fender was awarded a $690,000 contract to replace sloped roof and glass on Buildings 10 and 11.

• Sinclair adopts UAS strategic plan

The board established a $1.4 million internal loan from strategic program reserves to fund the Sinclair UAS Strategic Plan, an effort to develop and expand curriculum and partnerships with businesses, as well as attracting more students to be trained in Unmanned Aerials Systems specialties.

“We need to make sure we make investments to future opportunities,” Conelly said. “We’ve been a leader in the development of UAS education, and we think our innovation will help us.”

Of the $1.4 million, $550,000 will be immediately allocated from the fund.

• New trustee welcomed

The trustees added Bruce Feldman to their ranks. Feldman will serve through October 1, 2019. Feldman is also chair of the Sinclair Foundation Finance Committee.

“He’s been a loyal and active member of the foundation and we’re pleased to have him join us here,” said chairman Bernard Wright.

Feldman, who was approved by the Montgomery County Commission, is a graduate of Miami University and president of Dayton-based Economy Linen and Towel Service.

• University to alter collection policy for withdrawals

Sinclair will end its policy of writing off unpaid tuition and some bookstore charges from a student who withdraws from classes and loses financial aid eligibility. The school will now first attempt a collection in such cases beginning fall 2013.